Himachal Pradesh increases state’s RPO

The Himachal Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (HPERC) has revised the states renewable purchase obligation (RPO) upwards to 7.25 per cent (solar) and 10.25 per cent (non-solar) for the financial year 2019-20. Further, it has set solar RPO for 2020-21 as 8.75 per cent and non-solar RPO as 10.25 per cent. For the year 2021-22, both the solar and non-solar RPO have been set at 10.50 per cent.

Earlier solar RPO was 2.75 per cent and non-solar RPO was 8.75 per cent for 2016-17, for 2017-18, solar RPO was 4.75 per cent and non-solar RPO was 9.50 per cent, while for 2018-19 solar RPO was set as 6.75 per cent and non-solar RPO was 10.25 per cent in the state.

The revisions were notified in the recently issued HPERC (Renewable Power Purchase Obligation and its Compliance) (Fifth Amendment) Regulations, 2018. The new regulations are applicable to the state’s discoms as well as any person, consuming electricity procured from conventional sources through open access third party sale, or any person installing captive generating project of more than 1 MVA capacity.

The RPO applies on the total electricity consumption by an obligated entity, excluding consumption from hydro. HPERC has stated that in case solar RPO compliance is 85 per cent or above, the remaining shortfall if any, can be met by excess non-solar energy purchased beyond the specified non-solar RPO for that year, and vice-versa.